Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center

	David Carbone, M.D., Ph.D.
	Mace L. Rothenberg, M.D.

Experimental Therapeutics Research Program

• Program Leader: David Carbone, M.D., Ph.D.
  Co-Leader: Mace L. Rothenberg, M.D.

Program Description

The physicians in the Experimental Therapeutics Program are organized into disease or modality-specific functional “teams”. The clinical teams represented by this program include all of the disease sites except for breast and GI, each represented by independent programs, and all of the modality-specific teams such as radiation oncology and Phase I. Each of these teams partners with appropriate laboratory scientists to accomplish efficient bidirectional translational research.

Scientific Goals
The overall goal of this program is to conduct patient-focused translational research that spans the spectrum from basic bench to translational to clinical trials research in order to improve the quantity and quality of life for cancer patients. The scope of Experimental Therapeutics is thus considered here to include not only the clinical development of therapeutic agents, but also the study of predictors of response and behavior, and the development of biomarkers of response and early detection.

Major areas of clinical focus include phase I clinical research, lung cancer, urological and head and neck cancers. Basic research emphasizes clinical trial correlative studies, comprehensive tumor analysis with gene expression microarrays and proteomic technologies, pharmacology and pharmacogenetics, and clinical development of targeted therapeutics.

Areas of Research Program Expertise

Vignettes of specific areas of expertise are presented in three categories:

1. Translation of basic laboratory findings and novel therapeutics into clinical trials and practice
   Vanderbilt has facilitated the development of a very strong translational research effort in early stage drug development. There is a wide range of studies including single agent studies of molecularly targeted therapies, studies that combine agents that inhibit complementary growth factor receptor signaling pathways, studies utilizing non-invasive imaging techniques to evaluate the effects of angiogenesis inhibitors, pharmacogenetic studies of drug transport genes, and combined modality studies involving x-ray guided drug delivery.
2. Translation of clinical observations into the laboratory to understand tumor biology and develop new approaches to therapy
   Numerous investigators in this Program focus their efforts on the development of new therapeutic approaches in the detection and treatment of cancer. Areas of research focus include the utilization of cDNA microarray analysis on lymph node negative patients to accurate classify metastatic potential in head and neck cancer patients; molecular profiling of lung cancer tumors utilizing MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry; utilization of proteomic technologies of preneoplasia for prevention and early detection of cancers; and mechanisms and therapeutic implications of variability in response to drug therapies, focusing on drug metabolism, drug transport, drug tragets and modifiers of the cellular milieu of which drug-target interactions occur.
3. Design and conduct of clinical trials to optimize clinical care in a rigorous scientific manner.
   The members of the Experimental Therapeutics Program have shown national leadership in the development of novel agents from early phase to approval phase clinical trials. Examples of agents that were developed under the leadership of Vanderbilt investigators include the anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody bevacizumab and the EGF receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors gefitinib and erlotinib.

Program Members

Program members and academic departmental affiliations are listed below.

• Derrick J. Beech, M.D., Professor & Chair, Surgery (Meharry)
• Darryl J. Bornhop, Ph.D., Professor
• Alan R. Brash, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology
• Aaron Bertrand (Randy) Brill, M.D.,Ph.D., Research Professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences
• Brian B. Burkey, M.D., Associate Professor
• David Carbone, M.D., Ph.D., Harold L. Moses Chair in Cancer Research, Ingram Professor of Cancer Research, Director of Specialized Program of Research Excellence in Lung Cancer
• Brian W. Christman, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Vice-Chair, Dept. of Medicine, Chief, Medical Service, VA TN Valley Health System
• Peter E. Clark, M.D., Associate Professor of Urologic Surgery
• Anthony J. Cmelak, M.D., Associate Professor
• Michael S. Cookson, M.D., Professor
• James E. Crowe, M.D., Ingram Professor of Cancer Research, Professor of Pediatrics, Microbiology and Immuno., Director, Vanderbilt Alliance for Nanomedicine, Director, Vanderbilt Program in Vaccine Sciences
• Thao P. Dang, M.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine
• Mikhail Dikov, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
• David M. Dilts, Ph.D., Prof Management OGSM, Prof Mgmt of Tech
• William D. Dupont, Ph.D., Professor of Biostatistics
• Moneeb Ehtesham, M.D., Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery, Assistant Professor of Cancer Biology
• Darrel L. Ellis, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine
• Haydar Frangoul, M.D., Director, Pediatric Stem Cell Transplant, Associate Professor
• Jill Gilbert, M.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine
• Todd D. Giorgio, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering
• Adriana L. Gonzalez, M.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology
• Stacey A. Goodman, M.D., Assoc Prof Med Stem Cell Transplant, Dir Marrow Transplant Unit
• John P. Greer, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, Clinical Director, Hematology and Stem Cell Transplantation
• Dennis E. Hallahan, M.D., Chairman, Radiation Oncology Center, Ingram Professor of Cancer Research, Professor of Cancer Biology and Biomedical Engineering
• Kenneth R. Hande, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology, Director, Fellowship Program
• Carl G. Hellerqvist, Ph.D., Prof Biochemistry & Med
• Richard Ho, M.D., MSCI, Assistant Professor
• Madan Jagasia, M.D., Assistant Professor
• David H. Johnson, M.D., Deputy Director, Cornelius Abernathy Craig Professor of Medical and Surgical Oncology, Director, Division of Hematology/Oncology
• Howard W. Jones, M.D., Prof Obstetrics & Gynecology, Dir Gyn Oncology
• Adetola Kassim, M.D., M.S., Asst Prof Med
• Lloyd E. King, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine
• Mark J. Koury, M.D., Professor of Medicine (Hematology/Oncology)
• John F. Kuttesch, M.D., Ph.D., Director, Pediatric Brain Tumor Program, Ingram Associate Professor of Cancer Research, Associate Professor of Pediatrics
• Harold N. (Bo) Lovvorn, M.D., Assistant Professor of Pediatric Surgery and Pediatrics
• Bo Lu, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor
• Pierre Massion, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine (Allergy, Pulmonary & Critical Care) and Cancer Biology
• Robert J. Matusik, Ph.D., Professor of Urological Surgery, Cell & Developmental Biology and Cancer Biology, Director of Urologic Surgery Research
• Paul L. Moots, M.D., Associate Professor of Neurology and Medicine
• David Morgan, M.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine (Hematology/Oncology)
• Claudio A. Mosse, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor
• James L. Netterville, M.D., Mark C. Smith Professor of Otolaryncology, Director Head & Neck Oncologic Surgery, Associate Director Bill Wilkerson Center for Otolaryngology and Communication Sciences
• John H. Newman, M.D., Elsa S. Hanigan Professor of Pulmonary Medicine, Professor of Medicine (Allergy, Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine)
• Tetyana V. Pedchenko, Ph.D., Research Instructor
• John B. Pietsch, M.D., Associate Professor of Pediatric Surgery and Pediatrics
• Joe B. (Bill) Putnam, M.D., Professor and Chair of Thoracic Surgery, Ingram Professor of Surgery, Professor of Biomedical Informatics
• Igor Puzanov, M.D., Assistant Professor
• Carmelo J. Rizzo, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry
• Dan M. Roden, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology, William Stokes Professor of Experimental Therapeutics
• Bruce J. Roth, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Urologic Surgery, The Paul V. Hamilton, M.D., and Virginia E. Howd Professor of Urologic Oncology, Section Chief, Solid Tumor Oncology, Co-Director, Genitourinary Oncology Program, Division of Hematology/Oncology
• Mace L. Rothenberg, M.D., Professor of Medicine (Hematology/Oncology), Ingram Professor of Cancer Research
• Alan B. Sandler, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Medical Director, Thoracic Oncology, Director, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center Affiliate Network Program
• Friedrich Schuening, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Section Chief, Hematology & Stem Cell Transplantation
• Herbert S. Schwartz, M.D., Professor and Vice Chairman, Orthopaedics and Rehabiliation, Residency Program Director
• Joseph A. Smith, M.D., Professor & Chair of Urologic Surgery
• Jeffrey A. Sosman, M.D., Professor of Medicine (Hematology/Oncology)
• Michael Stabin, Ph.D., CHP, Assistant Professor
• Richard S. Stein, M.D., Professor of Medicine (Hematology/Oncology)
• John L. Tarpley, M.D., Professor of Surgery (Surgical Oncology)
• Reid C. Thompson, M.D., Associate Professor and Vice Chairman, Department of Neurological Surgery, Director of the Vanderbilt Brain Tumor Center, Director, Neurosurgical Oncology
• Kyle D. Weaver, M.D., Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery
• James A. Whitlock, M.D., Director of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Craig Weaver Professor of Pediatrics
• John A. Worrell, M.D., Professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences
• Eugenia M. Yazlovitskaya, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor
• John A Zic, M.D., Director of the VU Cutaneous Lymphoma Clinic, Assistant Professor of Medical Dermatology